1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to business process servers (especially business process servers implemented with Service Oriented Architecture, or “SOA”), enterprise models, enterprise meta models and enterprise databases.
2. Description of the Related Art
Business process servers are conventional. Business process servers implemented with SOA are conventional. Enterprise models, enterprise meta models and enterprise databases are conventional. Enterprise data warehouses are conventionally used to provide an enterprise level view of information.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,768,995 (“Thier”) discloses an enterprise business planning system including a database. A transactional portion of the database receives information from enterprise contributors. The enterprise contributors contribute detailed financial forecasts, revenue forecasts, order forecasts, inventory forecasts, estimated resource requirements, and the like, depending on the particular enterprise planning activity being carried out by the enterprise.
US patent application 2004/0249832 (“Goldthorpe”) discloses an enterprise model that is built in real time. In Goldthorpe, a universal framework defines the structure and representation of processes, knowledge, and interrelationships between processes and knowledge in an enterprise. After this universal framework is created, it is used for dynamically building a model of said enterprise in real time. The model represents the enterprise as an evolving system of interconnected processes and knowledge domains. The model is stored on an enterprise knowledge database and is made available over the computer network. In this way, both members of said enterprise (that is, network users) and computer applications can use the model in real time for managing execution of processes, and managing knowledge about and contained within processes and systems of processes.
Goldthorpe goes on to disclose that computer applications can make use of the Goldthorpe model and system. In one example, applications such as Interwoven Inc.'s Content Infrastructure suite of products use the knowledge database to generate metadata about where web content development fits within an enterprise's business processes. In another example, workgroup software or collaboration software accesses the knowledge database to determine the status of related processes. In another example, a customer relationship management system uses the knowledge database to add metadata about associations between a customer relationship process and product development processes to a native customer relationship management dataset. In yet another example, software routines are used by other applications for the addition of knowledge to the knowledge database.
US patent application 2005/0026129 (“Rogers”) discloses the feature of maintaining synchronization between a process model and an information model. In Rogers, the process model is developed and then the reference information model is generated. A Reference Information Model is assembled that directly compliments the developed Process Model. The reference data provided to the Reference Information Model can be the data or information that directly correlates to the current action the worker is engaged in. For each task or category identified in the Process Model there is an associated Reference Identification Model. As the worker changes modes and/or progresses through the tasks of the work, the body of information of the Reference Information Model changes to accommodate the new actions of the worker. For example, within a diagnosis task of a Process Model a corresponding Reference Information Model identifies steps or tasks related to the diagnosis. The synchronization of the Reference Information Model to the Process Model is alleged to cause productivity improvements. It is noted that in (“Rogers”) the data in the information model is gathered specifically to support the process, for purposes relating to task efficiency. In Rogers, the information model consists of data related to the execution of each task being processed.
US patent application 2005/00119905 (“Wong”) discloses the feature of creating an information model based on business processes. Methods of managing information technology (IT) through auto discovery analysis achieves business relevance. The method may include providing IT service(s) to monitor an IT infrastructure. In this way, managed components of the infrastructure and business processes are discovered. These components and processes are supported by the infrastructure. An information model is formed based on the discovered components and the discovered business processes. The auto discovery analysis may include: performing network elements discovery; performing systems discovery; performing network flow discovery; performing batch process discovery; and performing middleware integration discovery.
Description Of the Related Art Section Disclaimer: To the extent that specific publications are discussed above in this Description of the Related Art Section, these discussions should not be taken as an admission that the discussed publications (for example, published patents) are prior art for patent law purposes. For example, some or all of the discussed publications may not be sufficiently early in time, may not reflect subject matter developed early enough in time and/or may not be sufficiently enabling so as to amount to prior art for patent law purposes. To the extent that specific publications are discussed above in this Description of the Related Art Section, they are all hereby incorporated by reference into this document in their respective entirety(ies).